THE EXPERIENCE
by Brannan10
Summary: A near death experience makes a certain woman reevaluate her priorities.
1. Chapter 1

Part one

The bullet lodged in her chest. Before she lost consciousness she wondered what caliber the bullet was. Her ribs might have been able to protect her organs.

Booth watched in horror as she fell to the ground five feet from him. He quickly came back to reality as a bullet barely missed him. He returned fire hitting the shooter in the chest as he ran for Bones.

Temperance lay on the ground. Actually that is not true. Her body lay on the ground. Temperance felt separated from that body some how. She was vaguely aware of her body being lifted by Booth. He was crying. She hated to see him cry. Her body was being loaded into an ambulance.

The EMTs were working to bring her back. She didn't know why; she liked it here. She felt free. Then she saw the most beautiful light. Her scientists mind wondered why it didn't hurt her eyes. She decided it didn't matter as she saw someone walking toward her. It was her mother.

"Temperance." Her mother smiled hugging her close.

"Mom." Temperance wanted to cry. "Am I dead?" she asked, figuring she already knew the answer. She just wanted the facts confirmed for her.

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Booth was running alongside the gurney. They had tried to make him stay behind, but one look at his face and they knew it was useless. He had called Angela on the way and so was not surprised when he heard someone yelling from the waiting room a few minutes after walking into the ER. He knew he should go get them to let her in, but he couldn't leave Bones. He needed to be there if…No… when she woke up.

It seemed Angela didn't need his help as she and Hodgins appeared before him. She was still mumbling about the stupid heifer that wouldn't let them in. Hodgins was mumbling because he had just been forced to donate a hundred thousand dollars to the hospital. They got into the ER though.

"How is she?" Angela asked, terrified of the answer she would get.

Booth just pointed to the doctor on a ventilator.

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"No, sweetie. Not yet." Her mother smiled at her. "You have done great things with your life, but you have not truly lived." Temperance was surprised to hear these things coming from her own mother.

"Tempe, dear. You are to be given a choice." Suddenly they were standing in an ER. She could see the whole team crying as they stood next to her body. "You can leave this life and be here with me or you can go back and try to make a real life for yourself."

"I don't want to lose you again, mom." Temperance was trying not to cry. "My life has been so hard. I have been alone so long. Why should I go back? I could just stay with you forever. I haven't seen you in so long, mom." She walked over to Booth. She could see the grief consuming him already. She thought of him sitting in his apartment all alone, in the dark, drinking right out of the bottle. She did not want him to go through that. She looked at her mom who smiled at her. "He is my partner, mom."

"I know sweetie."

"I choose him. I want to stay."

"You should tell him how you really feel about him, Tempe." With that she kissed her daughter on the forehead and disappeared.

"I will." Temperance promised.

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Temperance immediately began chocking on the tube down her throat.

"Nurse!" Booth yelled as he rushed to her side. Everyone woke with a start. Realizing the reason for him screaming identical smiles where seen on everyone's face.

The nurse ran in and removed the tube from her throat and Temperance started coughing.

Then everyone was hugging. Rapping her arms around Booth he thought he heard her say. 'I chose you.'

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Later everyone had left, promising to return first thing in the morning.

Booth attempted to make himself more comfortable in the chair by her bed. He had no intentions of leaving her side. A movement at the bed caught his attention. She was patting it for him to sit next to her.

"We can both fit here, Booth. You don't need to sleep in that chair." He was surprised by her offer, but he quickly joined her on the bed, careful not to jostle her much. She curled up next to him with her arm lying on his chest. They lay there like that for a while.

"Hey Booth," she said breaking the silence.

He smiled down at her. "I thought you were asleep. Do you need anything?"

Brennan thought about her answer for a moment before answering, "Yes."

"What do you need?" He asked, quickly moved to get up.

She stopped him with a slight pressure on her arm. He looked down at her in curiosity.

"You." She stated simply.

"What?" He wasn't sure he understood her.

"I need you." Then she did something he never thought she would. She leaned up and kissed him on the lips.

The kiss was enough to bring Booth back to his senses. He immediately began kissing her back. Then he heard three words he had been longing for.

"I love you, Booth."


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

Two weeks later

Bones rolled onto her side to face Booth. She had been staying with him since her release from the hospital the previous week. He had insisted on her moving in with him for a short time on the pretext of insuring she did not work to hard, but given what they had spent the week doing she wasn't entirely sure she was getting more rest here than she would have at her house.

"Booth, I want to go to church with you tomorrow," she stated.

Booth groaned. "No, Bones. We've talked about this before; you are not going to turn my church into your latest study. I don't care how bored you are."

"That's not what I want to do Booth."

"Fine. You can come, but you better be good." Booth could never deny her anything.

"I promise to be on my best behavior." Brennan swore with an empish smile on her face.

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The next day they woke up bright and early ready to go to Sunday Service.

"You are sure about this, Bones?" Booth asked as he straightened his blue and white striped tie.

"Yes, Booth! For the hundredth time, yes. I am sure I want to go." Brennan was wearing a black skirt, white blouse, and a pretty red sweater. Low black heels completed her ensemble. It was not her usually style, but she was attempting to go with something a bit more reserved and 'churchlike'.

"Then lets go." He took her hand and they walked out the door, Booth locking it behind them. Booth could not stop grinning. He was so happy to share this with her.

On the way Bones was uncommonly quite. Booth had been expecting a thousand questions about the church, why he had picked this church, whether there were any particular rules for behavior, something! Instead she just sat there staring out the window, watching the scenery breeze past them.

Booth finally couldn't take it anymore. He was just about to break the silence when he realized they had arrived at the church. He could hardly remember driving the familiar route.

He parked the SUV in the lot and jogged around to open the door for Bones. Surprised she was actually waiting for him to open it.

"Welcome, Bones! To Saint Michael's Catholic Church."

"Saint Michael? Who is he?" Bones asked curiously.

"Patron saint of police officers, EMTs and paramedics."

Bones smiled, "that seems appropriate."

"I thought so."

"So, you picked this church based on name recognition?" Bones questioned.

Booth smiled, comfortable with the familiar. "No, Bones, of course not. That was just an added bonus."

"Oh, okay."

Booth took her arm and led her into the church. He headed to his regular pew, about half way down the church on the right side. He put Bones on the outside thinking it was best for a quick escape if this became too much for her.

Bones was looking around the church curiously. "How many people attend this church?"

"About three hundred."

"Wouldn't you rather have a smaller congregation? Something more intimate?"

Luckily the priest stepping up to the pew saved Booth from having to come up with an answer that would appease his partner.

As the service proceeded Booth found himself paying more attention to his partner (he still hadn't gotten used to the word girlfriend) than the priest. She seemed to be rapt, her attention unwavering. It was rare to see that look on her face outside of the lab.

Suddenly Bones stood up. He tried to hide his disappointment in her leaving when he realized that she was not headed to the back of the church, but rather to the front.

Booth then realized that they had reached the point in the service where the priest offers those people who had not previously been saved to come offer there souls to God.

Booth felt his eyes fill with tears as he watched his Bones kneel before the altar. Right there in front of the entire congregation Bones gave herself to the lord.

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Later, Bones insisted on going to her mothers' grave. While they sat in the cemetery Booth asked the question that had been bothering him.

"Why Bones?" She looked up at him. "Why are we here? Why did you invite God into your heart today? You never believed in the lord. You don't trust faith. What happened?"

She took a deep breath. "I saw something when I died," she stated nervously.

"Really?" Booth's interest was piqued. "What did you see?"

"A light. It was so beautiful. I've never seen anything like it before." Tears were beginning to form, "and then I saw my mother." Booth heard the catch in her voice and he reached to take her into his arms waiting to hear what else she had to say. He did not want to ruin this moment with her.

"I know how this sound, Booth. If someone told me this story I would tell them that it was a chemical reaction caused by the brain cells dying, but it was so real. I remember it so clearly." She was holding her breath waiting for him to call her crazy.

Booth smiled, "I'm catholic, Bones. Remember? You don't have to convince me."

"I figured if she was still around she has to be somewhere. I hope there is a heaven for her to go to. You make it sound wonderful."

"I believe it is Bones."

"So do I." Bones smiled, "she told me to tell you how I feel."

Booth hugged her close grinning from ear to ear. "Than it looks like I owe her a huge debt of gratitude."

"No, Booth, I owe her." She kissed him.

"I love you, Bones."

"I love you, Booth."

The End


End file.
